Mail-box.



A. ROSENBERG & E. CLARK.

MAIL BOX. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1911. 1,001,080. v Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. ROSENBERG & E. E. CLARK.

MAIL BOX. emos 11,121) MAB.13. 1911.

1 001 0 0 Patented Aug.22, 1911. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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COLUMBIA FWD-AP" 00-, WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

ADOLPH ROSENBERG AND ELLSWORTH E. CLARK, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ADOLPH ROSENBERG and ELLSWORTH E. CLARK, citizens of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in deposit and collection receptacles, and relates particularly to an improved mail box.

The invention has for its primary object an improved construction of device of this character, the parts of which may be easily and cheaply manufactured and assembled and which will be durable in construction and eflicient in operation to securely hold mail matter, the letters and the like inserted within the box being efiectually protected from the weather.

The invention also has for its object an improved mail box embodying a back, a body portion hingedly connected at its lower end to the back and arranged to be swung outwardly therefrom when it is desired to withdraw the mail matter from the box, a lid adapted to close over the top that forms part of the body portion, and a spring so secured to the back that it will cause the lid to lift itself as soon as the box is opened, while permitting the lid to close automatically when the box is closed and locked.-

And the invention also has for its object to generally improve this class of devices and to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in View as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the inventlonconsists in certain constructions, arrangements and combina tions of the parts that we shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in

which: 7

Figure 1 is av frontelevation of our improved mail box; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof, the box being shown closed; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the box open; Fig. 4: (Sheet 1) is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the means for securing to theback of the box a locking bar hereinafter specifically described; and, Fig. 5 (Sheet 2) is a perspective view of the upper portion of the box, the lid being shown raised.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The main parts of our device, that compose the box proper, are formed preferably of sheet metal and embody a back 1 which is formed with openings 2 to receive fastening devices by which the back may be secured to a door frame or the like for the support of the box, the back being also formed with parallel side flanges 3. The back 1 has secured thereto, or integrally formed therewith, the bottom 4 of the box and is hinged at the bottom to the sides 5' of the body portion A. The body portion includes, in addition to the sides 5, a front 6 and a preferably inclined top 7 which is formed with a slot 8 through which the letters or the like are intended to be thrust into the box. It will be seen that the body portion A is adapted to swing at its upper end toward and away from the back 1 and to limit the forward or opening movement of the body portion we secure to the inner face of the front 6 and nearthe lower edge thereof, a rearwardly and downwardly projecting stop plate 9 extending across the body portion, as shown, and which will rest upon the bottom 4: when the body portion has been swung to a fully open position.

In addition to this means for limiting the open movement of the box, we may also provide a brace strap 10 which is pivoted to one side flange 3 of the back 1, one end of said brace strap working through a guide loop 11 which is secured to the adjoining side 5. This end of the brace is formed with a laterally projecting extremity 12 adapted to abut against the guide loop 11 so as to limit the forward or opening movement of the body portion.

In order to hold the box closed with the body portion up against the back and with the side flanges 3 entering in between the sides 5 of the body portion, we have secured to the front facev ofthe body portion a lock casing 13,'the lock bolt of which is arranged to be operated by a key and which is adapted for engagement with a U-shaped locking bar-14L. V This locking bar projects perpen "dicularly and forwardly from the back 1 and is preferably formed with inwardly turned rear ends 15 passed through retaining straps 16 that are formed by punching out portions of the metal composing the back. To enter back of the retaining strap 16, the inturned ends 15 of the lock bar pass through slots 17 that are formed in the side flanges 3. In this manner, the looking bar is secured to the back without the use of rivets, screws or similar fastening devices.

A flanged lid 18 is hinged at its rear edge to an upper extension 19 of the back 1, the said lid being adapted to swing down over and upon the top 7 so as to efiectually close the entrance slot 8 and protect the contents of the box from the weather. It is to be particularly noted that the lid 18 is angularly formed or bent downwardly near its hinged edge to form. a transversely extending and downwardly facing shoulder or ledge 20 designed for engagement by the upwardly projecting bent free end of a spring 21. This spring may be secured at its lower end to the back 1 in any desired way, as for. instance by retaining straps 22. The top 7 of the body portion A is formed at its rear edge with a recess 23 designed to accommodate the upper end of the spring 21, the body portion in its closing movement pressing the spring rearwardly so as to permit the lid 18 to close by gravity, the spring being held compressed or under tension back of the ledge or shoulder 20. When the box is unlocked, the spring 21 will be permitted to act to start the opening movement of the box by pressing the body portion A forwardly and it will also be understood that at the same time the spring will ride across the ledge or shoulder 20 and serve to automatically partially raise the lid, the lid being held by the spring in partially raised position where it will be out of the way and not interfere with the subsequent closing of the body portion up against the back.

The front 6 of the box is formed with a sight opening defined by a flange 24:, back of which a glass panel 25 is held; by a transversely'extending name holder 26, the ends of the name holder being riveted or otherwise secured against the rear face of the front 6 by rivets or similar fastening devices. This name holder 26 is formed with retaining flanges 27 for a name strip and is formed between said flanges with a slot 28 so that the name of the party owning the box may be'viewed through the transparent panel 25.. V w

In order to hold newspapers or'other articles that are too large to be inserted into the box, we have provided a spring clip 29,

the same being preferably formed of a single length of spring wire bowed between its ends to form theclip proper, coiled, if desired, as at 30, and having its ends passed into the front of the box, said ends being engaged and the clip being thereby securely held, by a clamping plate 31 which extends across the ends of the clipand is riveted or otherwise fastened to the front 6.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanylng drawing, the

operation of our improved mail box will be apparent. Letters, post-cards and the like may be easily inserted through the slot 8 after the lid 18 has been raised, and newspapers or similar relatively large articles may be secured to the front of the box by the clip 29. In order to remove the contents of the box, it is only necessary to unlock the same, whereupon the lid 18 will be automatically raised by the spring 21 and the body portion A of the box may be easily swung forward and downward to open the box. As the body portion is subsequently swung upwardly and rearwardly toward the back, the

rear edge of the. top 7 will engage the spring 21 and press the latter rearwardly back of the ledge or shoulder 20 of the lid 19, and consequently the lid will be permitted to drop and securely cover the top 7.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A box of the character described, comprising a back,- a body portion hinged to the back to swing with its upper end away from and toward the back, the body portion being formed in its top with a receiving slot, a lid hinged to the back to close over the slot, and means for'automatically moving the lid upwardly upon the movement of the body portion away from the back and for body portion being formed with a receiving.

slot, a lid hinged to the back and adapted to close over the slot, and a spring connected to the back, the spring being arranged to engage and move the lid upwardly upon the In testimony whereof, we afiix our signamovement of the body portion away from tures in presence of two Witnesses.

the back, and the body portion being adapt- ADOLPH ROSENBERG. [L. s.] ed to engage said spring and move it to an ELLSWORTI-I E. CLARK. inoperative position so as to permit the lid Witnesses:

to move downwardly upon the movement of CHAS. F. J EKEL,

the body portion toward the back. GERTRUDE M. PIKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

